Hazy
by Lara1221
Summary: To Luna's surprise, Harry returns to Slughorn's Christmas Party after his venture. Also to her surprise, she finds herself falling.


**Disclaimer:** not mine.

 **A/N:** it's been a while, huh? I hope you all enjoy this. Hopefully I'll be writing more, soon. Hope you all had a very happy holidays and that the new year brings you joy :)

 **Written for: catapults' beater 1: finals round 1:** write a story with the OTP of the player before you (Natascope's: Harry/Luna), and as player 5, use a metaphor and foreshadowing, and optional prompts (2) and (12): hazelnut, mulberry.

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Hazy

It was snowing at Hogwarts, and Luna Lovegood couldn't have been happier about it. Now that Harry had disappeared somewhere, no one was paying her any mind at the party. She had taken up residence in a window seat and had not looked away from the falling snow, sipping her hazelnut hot cocoa as the night moved around her.

She was tempted to dislike the snow. Winter was the time of year that she used to enjoy in her mum's company. But she couldn't help but love it. Snow was the most beautiful thing nature created all on its own, Mum had always said. Every crystal that fell from the sky was different, hundreds of millions works of miniature icicle art. The snowflakes layered together and coated the land, working together to withstand the forces of nature and man.

Luna wished people could do the same.

"Luna?"

She focused; Harry's reflection stared at her in the window.

"Hello, Harry. Is something wrong?"

Harry swallowed, perhaps realizing his previous question was silly. "You just seemed..." Luna was used to people taking their time to choose their words. "...far away."

"I hope I didn't go too far. I wouldn't want to get lost."

Harry laughed, clear and carefree. "We'd find you."

 _We_. Her friends. She met Harry's eyes. Only her father had ever looked at her like that before: happy to see her, supportive and understanding. She felt a rush of gratitude and beamed at Harry. "It feels wonderful to have friends."

"Yeah." Harry sat beside her. "Did you have a nice time?"

"Oh yes. The snow is beautiful tonight. I was thinking of my mother."

"I…I think about my mum a lot, too."

Luna reached out to grab his hand; she was certain he needed it, and she did, she felt a warmth spread through her. It started where their fingers touched and ended down in her toes. A wide smile spread across her face.

"I'm sorry I took off," said Harry suddenly. Luna stared. Surely he'd rather be elsewhere.

"I understand, Harry. A party's not very important when you have other things on your mind."

"No, er - it's not like that. I'm happy I came here with you," he tried to reassure her. Luna believed him, but she didn't want to keep him from doing other important things. "You made the night better. Let me make it up to you. Let's, er – dance, or something."

"I don't want to dance if you don't want to."

"Still, we were here as friends, right? I'm your friend and I left. I shouldn't have. I'm sorry." He reached for both her hands this time, giving them a squeeze and pulling her from her chair. Luna tried not to stumble, steadying herself by gripping his arms. "I want to dance. I mean it."

He put one of her hands on his shoulder, placed his hand on her waist, and held her remaining hand in the air. He had a thoughtful look about him, as if trying to remember something, but Luna found her focus elsewhere –

"We're rather close together. I don't want to step on your toes."

Harry laughed. "Take some space, if you want."

But she found she liked the distance. Harry's eyes were always clear, but she found herself unable to take her eyes of them. His hair was particularly unruly, she noticed, worse than when they had arrived at the party. She was distracted until she felt him squeeze her hand. When she looked back at his face, his eyes were roaming as fast as possible.

"You're very distracted." She didn't mind. There were lots of things he had to worry about.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to be," he said kindly. "When I'm so relaxed, it gives me lots of time to think. Unfortunately, I have a lot of things to think about right now."

Luna thought about this. "I think the Flitsups are getting to you."

"Huh?"

"Well, you can only think about something by choice. Unless someone else is there, in your mind, it's completely empty until you choose to fill out."

Harry stopped short. "That's amazing."

"What?"

"That you can think like that. I can't – there's always _something_ in my head. It's never blank. I'm not choosing, it's just that I need something to focus on. Otherwise I just feel like I'm asleep, or something."

"Here, I have an idea." Luna stepped back momentarily, excited at the prospect of helping Harry focus on something nice for a change, and a small part of her hopeful that it would bring them closer. She hooked her arm around Harry's and put them, interlocked, between their chests. She took his other arm and arched it up and behind his head; she did the same with hers.

"First, we turn one way," Luna showed him, moving her feet in a way she had memorized a long time ago. "Then the other." They rotated in the other direction. "Keep your arm out and bring it down. Pull away from me so we only lock hands." She showed Harry, leaning back until they were joined only by their hands, and waited until she knew had done so. "Now turn and come back up."

Harry was smiling when they looked at each other again, and they continued to dance and laugh until they were the only ones left. The world around her began to fade away; the crimson fairy lights that still breathed life into the room going through dark shades of red and finishing in a rich mulberry hue, the snow slowing down and growing faint, and all she could focus on was Harry, outlined clear as day in the world of haze around her.

"You didn't have to come to this party, Harry."

He looked down, meeting her eyes and giving her a wide smile. He squeezed her hand and brought her closer, just so that his arm wrapped all the way around her. Luna felt butterflies take up residence in her stomach as her heart flipped, over and over.

"I'm glad I did."


End file.
